Health & Safety News March 2015

Unions are preparing fast for International Workers Memorial Day, the annual 28 April commemoration and campaign which has become the biggest event on the global health and safety calendar.

Everyone should have the basic right to come to work in a safe environment and return home safely to their loved ones. Sadly, however, this is not the case with many people dying at work each year to leave families devastated. It is important that we remember those who have lost their lives, but, also continue to campaign and fight for safer working conditions to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

Bullying at work

What is workplace bullying?

Usually, if you genuinely feel that you are being singled out for unfair treatment by a boss or colleague, you are probably being bullied. Although there is no comprehensive list of bullying behaviours, and there is no one type of person who is likely to be a bully, the list below gives an idea of some behaviours which constitute workplace bullying;

competent staff being constantly criticised, having responsibilities removed or being given trivial tasks to do

shouting at staff

persistently picking on people in front of others or in private

blocking promotion

regularly & deliberately ignoring or excluding individuals from work activities

setting a person up to fail by overloading them with work or setting impossible deadlines

consistently attacking a member of staff in terms of their professional or personal standing

regularly making the same person the butt of jokes

The personal costs of bullying

Stress and ill-health can become part of the daily life of those being bullied.

Symptoms may include:

anxiety, headaches, nausea, ulcers, sleeplessness, skin rashes, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, tearfulness, loss of self-confidence, various illnesses of the organs such as the kidneys, thoughts of suicide.